At Tanunda’s Musque, you can drink in the delicious aroma of relief
The return of customers, albeit in limited numbers, is cause for celebration at an eatery and bar at the heart of the Barossa, writes Simon Wilkinson
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THE two girls at the next table are drinking enough cocktails to keep the bar-bloke in an almost constant frenzy of shake and stir. We’re sniffing through bottles of Spanish gin to pick one suitable for a pre-dinner tipple that will soon be followed by a flute of posh bubbles and a stonking Barossa red.
If it’s a little premature to say there is a feeling of celebration in the air at Tanunda eatery/bar Musque, then there is at least one of profound relief. Restaurants are returning to what they do best. And we can all drink to that.
Certainly, Musque’s owner/chef Stuart Oldfield isn’t counting any chickens yet. He’s too busy trying to figure out how to keep his staff gainfully employed, his distancing protocols up to scratch and (speaking of chickens) his fridges stocked with the type of produce he is accustomed to using. As he explains later, everything from prime beef cuts to micro-herbs are like hens’ teeth at the moment.
Stuart’s main source of revenue is his longstanding catering business but, while he is booked solid through spring, he’s still not sure whether these big-ticket events, such as weddings, will be able to go ahead. For now, he is at least thankful to be serving customers again and having some money coming in.
By the time this column appears, Musque will have capacity for 40 diners indoors, half of them on the side that in its previous (and hopefully future) life was devoted to a gin bar. That’s where we are plonked, watching as our server scales the ladder to pick out a selection from more than 300 gins lined up on six shelves that reach close to the ceiling.
The wine options take a bit more detective work. A few bottles are listed on a blackboard, others are kept in a rack near the kitchen and a printed list includes older vintages, champagnes and other rarities. As you’d expect, local producers dominate.
In a pragmatic response to the challenges of this time, Musque has settled on a five-course menu that helps cut waste and offers some financial security when bookings come in. Only one chef is on deck for lunch and dishes have been designed so the bulk of work can be done ahead of time.
Little bubbles are suspended in a translucent golden consommé of roasted chicken bones, making it look like solid amber. A single ravioli, packed with a black, duxelles-style filling, sits at the centre of the broth, while slices of pine mushroom and slender spears of enoki add more subtle fungi notes.
Hervey Bay scallops in the shell are slathered in miso butter and grilled under a fierce heat until they come out looking like a row of Bali tourists on their sun lounges. The butter helps keep the lozenge of white flesh supple and adds an addictive Vegemitey depth, while strands of wakame give a contrasting bite.
Thick slices of duck breast, with just the faintest tinge of pink, are arranged on top of a small mound of brussels sprouts that have been fried with lardons of pancetta until the outer edges become withered and toasty.
Parsnip puree forms a moat around the outside and helps bring all those earthy elements together. A warmer plate would have helped it stay hot longer.
Dark, glossy nuggets of beef cheek have been cooked in the style of a daube, poaching in a gently burbling red-wine sauce until the meaty fibres have contracted and then collapsed. They rest on a plinth of mashed potato and are accompanied by snow peas and carrots that are prepared separately from the stew.
A flat-topped dome of chocolate fondant is missing the molten ooze in the middle but, with candied peel and fresh segments of orange, nails a tried-and-true flavour combination much more effectively than a Jaffa.
And, completing a stellar line-up of matched beverages, this dessert comes with a 30-year-old blended tawny port from one of a quartet of barrels behind the bar – a beguiling liqueur that has become so concentrated over the years that it leaves a film inside the glass.
It’s a drink that shows what is possible over time. In the case of Musque, the best-case scenario is that it will be back to regular nights as a crowded restaurant on one side, a crowded bar on the other, sooner rather than later.
Now that will be a cause for celebration.
MUSQUE
109 Murray St, Tanunda
7513 7740; musque.com.au
OWNER / CHEF Stuart Oldfield
FOOD Contemporary
FIVE-COURSE SET MENU $57 (matched beverages) $45
BAR SNACKS $8-$14
DRINKS Short blackboard selection but all manner of treasures to be found in rack and reserve list.
OPEN LUNCH Fri-Sun DINNER Daily
Simon Wilkinson is not giving scores for his reviews during coronavirus restrictions.